Table Rules of Thumb

7/30/2019 Table Rules of Thumb

1/6
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/documents/epa_lbe.pdf


2/6

State and Local Climate and Energy Program Rules of Thumb

Rules of Thumb

Green Buildings

Benefits

Cost Premiums

Energy Savings Cost Savings Increased ProductivityAverage PeriodPayback (years) Other Benefits

Green buildings: costpremiums average$3/ft2-$5/ft2, or lessthan 2% of initial costs.

New high-performancegreen buildings: costpremium range from2%-7%, depending onthe specific designfeatures integrated.LEED green buildings:additional cost ofcertified projects: 0%-2.5%, Silver 0%-3.5%,

Gold 0.5%-5%,Platinum 4.5%+.

New greenbuildings: meansavings is 27%;mean value foractual

consumption is1% lower thanmodeled.

New greenbuildings: 50%reducedconsumptioncompared toconventional

new buildings.

New greenbuildings: energycost savingscompared toconventional

design as highas $0.47/ft

2.

Commissioningnew buildings:average savingsof $0.05/ft2.

Installing high-performance lighting:productivityimprovements of 0.7%-26% with a median of

3.2%.

Incorporatingdaylighting: productivityimprovements of 0.45%-40%, mean of 5.5%.

Increasing naturalventilation: productivityimprovements of 3%-18%, mean of 8.5%.

High-performancebuildings:simplepayback

period can beas short as2.0 years foroffices, 2.1years forlibraries, and2.6 years forschools.

GHG emissions reductions:as high as 36%.

Reduced indoor and outdoorwater consumption: 30% and50%, respectively.

Reduced waste consumption:50%-75%.

Value of non-energy benefits:25%-50% of the value ofannual electricity costsavings.

Energy-Efficient Product Procurement All Products

Benefits

Cost PremiumsEnergy Savings Energy Cost Savings

Average PaybackPeriod (years)

Emission Reductions

Energy-efficient asopposed toconventional products:cost premium varieswith each product, butmost often thedifference is slight.

Energy-efficient productprocurement: savings of

3%-12% of totalbuilding energyconsumption.

Energy-efficient productprocurement: energy costsavings of 4%-17% relative tototal commercial energycosts.

1 MWh of electricity saved:through energy-efficientproduct procurement equalsemissions reductions of:

1,364 pounds of CO2

5.6 pounds of SO2

2.2 pounds NOx

Background and Sources available in Clean Energy Lead by Example Guide - http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/documents/epa_lbe.pdf 2
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/documents/epa_lbe.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/documents/epa_lbe.pdf


3/6


4/6



Rules of Thumb

Energy-Efficient Product Procurement By Type of Product

Product CategoryEffective Date of Current

Specification

Percent Savings Compared toConventional Product

Cost-effectiveness (paybackperiod)

Heating and Cooling

Air source heat pumps April 2006 5%


5/6


Rules of Thumb

Green Power Purchases

BenefitsCost Premiums

Energy Savings Energy Cost Savings Emission Reductions

Green power: about 2/kWh.Premiums vary by utility butrange from 0.2/kWh-17.6/kWh

Renewable energy certificates(RECs): 1/kWh (in ME) -about 5/kWh (in MA). SolarREC prices in NJ are thehighest at 25/kWh

RECs offered by a certificatemarketer: 0.5/kWh -7.5/kWh, with an average of2.3/kWh. RECs are alsoavailable at $5.50/ton CO2 to$12/ton CO2, with an averageof $9.80/ton CO2.

N/A Utility green power programs:For some utility green powerprograms, the premium can benegative, thus reducing energy

bills. These premiums havebeen as low as -0.13/kWh

Purchasing 1 MWh of green power is equivalentto:

d

0.14 passenger cars not driven for one year;

0.52 acres of pine or fir forests storing carbonfor one year;

16 tree seedlings grown for 10 years;

0.21 tons of waste recycled instead oflandfilled; and

71 gallons of gasoline.



6/6



Rules of Thumb

Clean Energy Supply

Benefits

Total Costs Energy Savings or EnergyGenerated Cost Savings Emission Reductions

Small-scale CHP plant: installed cost of$1.60/W for systems less than 500 kW,and about $1/W for systems between 0.5

MW and 5 MW.

Installed costs for on-siteCHP systems average around $2.90/Win California.

Solar photovoltaics: average shipmentprice in 2004 was $3.00/W; the averageprice in 2005 was $3.20/W.cTotal costs,including the inverter, installation, andbalance of system range from $6-$9 perpeak Watt. Installed costs for PV

modules average around $8.70/W inCalifornia and $7.90/W in New J ersey.

Small wind turbine: including installation,ranges from $14,700-$20,800 for a low-range model; $28,100-$59,600 for a mid-range model; and $105,000 and$115,000, respectively, for two elitemodels. Installed costs for on-site windgeneration average around $3.60/W inCalifornia.

CHP systems: energysavings as high as 40%.

10 kW solar PV system:

generates 9,700 kWh/year to16,800 kWh/year, dependingon the location of thesystem.

Wind turbine with 84-foottower and 7-foot diameter(rated at 900 W): generates96 kWh/month at an averagewind speed of 10 mph and

155 kWh/month at 12 mph. Wind turbinewith 140-foot

tower and 50-foot diameter(rated at 65 kW): generates3,674 kWh/month at 10 mphand 5,992 kWh/month at 12mph.

CHP systems: as high as40% of the cost of operatingseparate heat and power

systems. 10 kW solar PV system: from

about $600-$1,400 per year,depending on the geographiclocation of the system.

900W wind turbine: costsavings range from $9/mo.-$14/mo per installed turbine.

65 kW wind turbine: range

from $330/mo -$540/mo. Perinstalled turbine.

CHP systems: equivalent toabout 2.6 lbs NOx/MWh, 5.8lbs SOx/MWh, and 1,200 lbs

CO2/MWh. 10 kW solar PV system: from

12,000 lbs-20,000 lbs of CO2,10 lbs-90 lbs of SOx, and 4lbs- 90 lbs of NOx per year.

Single 10-meter wind turbinewith 750 kW capacity withwind speeds ranging between12.5 and 13.4 mph: 2.36

million lbs of CO2, 13,800 lbsof SOx, and 8,600 lbs of NOxin one year.

Documents

Table Rules of Thumb